Paris mayor may ban black feminist Nyansapo festival

The mayor of Paris has called for a black feminist festival in the city to be banned on the grounds that it excludes white people.

At the Nyansapo Festival in July, billed as “blackfeminist”, 80% of the venue will be reserved for black women.

Black people of any gender will be allowed in another area, while a third area will be open to all.

Anne Hidalgo tweeted that she reserved the right “to prosecute the organisers for discrimination”.

Some French anti-racism organisations have condemned the festival.

SOS Racisme called it “an abomination” and said it “wallows in ethnic separation”, while Licra, the International League against Racism and Antisemitism, said: “Rosa Parks would be turning in her grave.”

On Friday the regional head of the far-right National Front party had challenged Ms Hidalgo to explain the “blatantly racist” event.

The organisers said in a statement (in French) that they had been “the target of a campaign of disinformation and fake news orchestrated by the extreme right” and they were “saddened to see some anti-racist associations let themselves be manipulated”.

They continued by mentioning that many had “no problem” with women-only feminist groups when race was not stipulated.

The festival is scheduled to take place in a property owned by the city of Paris, but the restricted event is in a public area. Organisers said the mayor subsequently had no jurisdiction over the event.